The loss in Toronto last night sucks. There’s really no other way to put it, even after sleeping on it. It’s a hard one to take because, as Jason Dickinson said after the game, it seemed like the Blackhawks played about 50 minutes of ideal hockey. They were structured. Their speed was giving the Leafs problems. They were creating — and taking advantage of — opportunities while limited the Leafs’ chances.
And then the final four minutes happened.
The way the game ended last night is an example of want vs. need. The Blackhawks wanted to win. The Maple Leafs needed to win.
If you read anything out of Canadian media in the couple days before the game, there was everything from “there needs to be a big shake-up” to “is Berube’s job on the line?” The Leafs got booed off the ice at the end of the first period. It was louder after 40 minutes. And it was noticeably increasing before the media stoppage that came just before the Leafs scored their first goal.
The Maple Leafs have big expectations on them to win, and they’ve been bad.
The Blackhawks have hopes of showing significant improvement from last year. And they’ve been… okay for the most part.
One team wanted to win. The other needed to win. And, as is often the case, need defeated want.
A seemingly crazy note from last night: Alex Vlasic was called for a (soft) penalty late in the second period. That was the first minor penalty called on Vlasic this season. Last night was his 32nd appearance. Laurent Brossoit cleared waivers on Tuesday. He’ll head back to Rockford and get some more run; the Hawks assigned him to the IceHogs on Tuesday. I’m sure the Blackhawks will continue to shop him, and can now see if their options improve with salary retention. During the pregame show last night, Frank Seravalli said the Hawks “didn’t really receive much of any activity at all” in looking for a Brossoit trade before now. Again: he’s appeared in 3 AHL games in almost two years. At $3.3M, everyone needs to see more. The Blackhawks are expected to practice in Montreal this afternoon. We’ll see how things shake out with Artyom Levshunov hoping to get back into the lineup after he was a healthy scratch last night. The NHL writers at The Athletic put together a list of the fastest rising prospects in every organization thus far this season. Scott Powers took care of the Blackhawks’ pipeline, and he named forward Roman Kantserov. Here’s what he wrote:Kantserov, a 2023 second-round draft pick, looked like he had a chance to be a decent prospect after the last couple of seasons in the KHL. He’s gone to a whole other level this season. Through 34 games, he leads the KHL with 22 goals and is tied for second in 39 points. Kirill Kaprizov was the last player around that age to produce similarly in the KHL. With increased production, Kantserov looks a lot more like a top-six NHL winger. His KHL contract expires after this season, and he is expected to sign and join the Blackhawks next season.
For those starting to look ahead at the 2026 NHL Draft — especially with the Blackhawks owning two first-round picks and three more in the second — here’s a good read on the recent World Junior A Challenge from David St-Louis at Elite Prospects.How top 2026 NHL Draft-eligible prospects performed at the 2025 World Junior A Challenge. Notes on Alexander Command, Marcus Nordmark, Malte Gustafsson, and more @Eliteprospects. t.co/FbuZpFbybb pic.twitter.com/3jiqivVQWn
— David St-Louis (@DavidSt_Louis) December 16, 2025 The Rockford IceHogs will hold their annual outdoor practice on Tuesday, Jan. 6 from 6-7 p.m. at Riverside Ice Arena in Belvidere. The practice session is open to the public and free to attend.Bundle up, #HogNation Our annual outdoor practice returns on January 6th from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. This event is open to the public!!?: t.co/Uy3ecx56JJ pic.twitter.com/ACFS679MvR
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) December 15, 2025 The St. Louis Blues claimed Jonatan Berggren off waivers from Detroit. Last night we witnessed an awkward moment where the Penguins goalie was wearing an Oilers mask and the Oilers goalie was wearing a Penguins mask… because they were traded for each other last weeek.pic.twitter.com/78AyXuej8A
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) December 17, 2025 Finally, the Nashville Predators added a couple minority owners on Tuesday — including Nick Saban!Smashville just got that much better Nick Saban and partner Joe Agresti have joined the #Preds ownership group via Dream Sports Ventures LLC with a minority stake in the franchise! » t.co/6Y5EK0I6qA pic.twitter.com/1FXqW4O5tx
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) December 16, 2025BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
So, so much to love about the second Caleb Williams touchdown throw to DJ Moore The Cubs are bringing back Caleb Thielbar Not exactly an ideal injury update from Ayo Dosunmu on TuesdayHence then, the article about want vs need vlasic s pim brossoit clears hogs outdoors saban buys in and other blackhawks bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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